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The gold nuggets pictured here were found with the use of a metal detector.

Finding gold is the dream of EVERY metal detectorist. While there are rivers and streams you can detect on your own, increase your odds of finding gold by visiting a place where gold has been found for centuries! There are several gold mining camps that offer tours and rivers/grounds to prospect on site. Obviously, these sites are in the heart of California’s Gold Country—though some are in Nevada. If you live on the West coast and want to get lucky prospecting, these sites are exactly what you’re looking for. Whether it’s a day trip or a 3-day vacation, readily find gold at a gold mining ranch or camp. It’s amazing that they let you keep the gold you find!

Chunk of Gold Found Worth $70,000!

In Early September, 2016, Oscar Espinoza found a large 18-ounce gold nugget at theGold Prospecting Adventures Mining Camp. He pulled a chunk of gold out of a creek near Jamestown, California after locating it with a metal detector. Its estimated worth is $70,000, though it’s a piece of history—so that could drive the price up.

A few gold mining camps you can DETECT and keep your gold include:

Jimstown 1849 Mining Camp – Jamestown, CA

Roaring Camp – Pine Grove, CA

Mt. Wilson Gold Ranch – Pioche, NV

Which Metal Detector for Gold Should I Bring?

If you regularly hunt for gold, you probably already have a gold metal detector, like theFisher Gold Bug Pro orGarrett AT Gold. These units feature a higher frequency for locating gold. Gold-specific metal detectors have better ground balancing ability and special coils that are optimized for the highly-mineralized soil where gold nuggets lie. TheFisher Gold Bug Pro boasts a 19.2 kHz frequency to find the smallest gold nuggets in highly mineralized soil. If you have a good-quality all-purpose metal detector, it likely has target identification with a display bar for the gold range and target ID numbers that indicate the same range for gold. But if you REALLY want to cash in on prospecting, a gold detector is best!

Plan a trip to a gold mining camp for success and great stories. Be sure to share your metal detecting finds with us: My Detecting Finds!

An example of gold that can be found with a metal detector. Located recently by a MetalDetector.com customer in New England.

Spring is here! And gold season is quickly approaching… So, here are a few prospecting tips to get you excited and ready to strike gold! Luckily, there are geological clues that point to gold. Just like you can read the soil for indicators of metal treasure, you can look for visual evidence when gold prospecting. Where is gold found? Often, it is found in low places; definitely on top of bedrock and in front of obstructions that prevent it from moving further. Gold that has accumulated as a result of moving downriver is called placer gold. However, placer gold is not just found in rivers, it also accumulates on dry ground in valleys and rock crevices. Placer gold is a popular target because it has concentrated over a long period of time and is fairly easy to find if you are in gold bearing country.

Five Indicators that Gold May be Present:

Rock Types for Gold are Nearby: If a certain rock type is known to be productive for gold in one zone, and the same rock type exists nearby, this is a good place to search.

Lighter Colored Rocks: If you notice out-of-place colors in a group of rock formations, it can be a gold indicator. Acidic mineral solutions in gold areas can bleach the rocks to a lighter color.

Presence of Quartz: Quartz is a common indicator that gold MAY be nearby. This is not always true. The hydrothermal conditions needed for gold deposits are also right for quartz. Quartz is more plentiful—so most gold deposits contain quartz, but most quartz deposits do not contain gold.

Abrupt Geological Shifts: Hard rock gold deposits are known to occur at the contact of two different types of rock. Example: one zone in New Mexico has rich dry placers; then just down the road is coal-bearing country. Not far from there is a turquoise mine. Detecting on the borderline of these zones can prove to be lucrative.

These are just a few tips. Reading gold prospecting books and articles can REALLY point you in the right direction! Check out our Learning Library for gold prospecting advice and our favorite gold-prospecting metal detectors!

Proven Gold Prospecting Metal Detector

According to TDI SL user Dan from Southern California, “the TDI SL is easiest to ground balance and produces a constant smooth threshold even in nasty mineralized soil.” It’s also a champion relic-hunting detector!

Finding gold with a metal detector may seem like mission impossible; and it does require a lot of patience. HOWEVER, gold prospecting hobbyists assure that you CAN FIND GOLD with your metal detector. According to the late Charles Garrett (world famous treasure hunter, inventor and author) and veteran prospector Roy Lagal, any amateur prospector who follows three basic rules can find gold!

Choose the right type of metal detector- capable of locating gold flakes and nuggets.

Have patience and perseverance.

Hunt in places where gold has already been found.

Gold-hunting detectors have proven themselves time and again, and most of them can expertly find coins and relics, as well. To prove that you can find gold, we’ve included below a video link:“Gold in Quebec”showing a hobbyist recovering a gold nugget from a stream. This prospector was hunting “Devil’s Rapid” in Quebec. Using theGarrett AT Pro, he heard a high-pitched gold signal. From there, he pinpointed the target in a bedrock crack under the water. Using a gold pan and running his detector over it, the prospector recovered a gold nugget that weighed in at 0.8 ounces. Another video depicts twoprospectors hunting old tailing piles with theGarrett AT Gold. Although they didn’t hit pay dirt on this outing, they demonstrate the proper techniques for prospecting. A gold pan kit is essential when prospecting rivers and streams.

At MetalDetector.com, find everything you need for prospecting for Gold Nuggets, including:

The Garrett ATX metal detector. Considered by many to be one of the best metal detectors for finding gold nuggets.

Do you live in gold country? If so, now is the time to prospect with a gold metal detector! A gold metal detector is an incredible holiday gift for the outdoorsman on your holiday list. Over a century ago, gold miners passed over lots of gold that was trapped in the walls of tunnels. People are now going back into abandoned mines withgold metal detectors to scan the walls. Today’s advanced gold detectors are picking up all of that overlooked treasure. If you live near any old mines with tailings piles, jump on the opportunity to go prospecting! The BIG holiday sale at MetalDetector.com offers new prospectors the chance to get the best gold detector at an affordable price.

Below are some of the top-ranked gold metal detectors at various price points:

Found with a Metal Detector, the Gold Nugget above has Been Dubbed “Friday’s Joy”

Another extremely large gold nugget has been discovered with a metal detector! Just recently (August, 2016), a detecting hobbyist was hunting a field in Central Victoria, Australia, when his detector went crazy. He thought it was just a horseshoe, but decided to dig it up anyway. To his amazement, the detectorist (who wishes to remain anonymous) saw something huge shimmering below him! “As I scraped away the clay and dug deeper, I couldn’t believe my eyes. This wasn’t an old piece of steel. I had just unearthed a colossal gold nugget – a once in a lifetime find! I didn’t think nuggets of this size were still around.” The 8-pound nugget was found 12 inches deep, and has been estimated upwards of $190,000.

Is this a “Mini Gold Rush?”

Interestingly, the man says this field is a worked-over area, but he found a 9-ounce nugget the day before. That’s why he returned to the area in hopes of finding more. The prospector will also be sharing the nugget’s proceeds with his hobbyist friends. He explained that they all previously agreed that they would split any royalties if treasure was ever found. This gold nugget find is creating a worldwide craze, according toAustralian news reports. Rita Bentley, from the Prospectors and Miners Association, said she believes there will be a mini gold rush in Australia. Says Bentley, “I would imagine there will be some new people who thought, ‘I’ve always wanted to try that,’ and this will be what pushes them over the edge. Buy a detector and a miner’s right and get out there!” It’s incredible to know that there are nuggets of gold out there this size these days. In fact, a huge gold nugget was found in Northern California not too long ago. If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at gold prospecting, NOW is the TIME!

Hand’s down, theGarrett AT Gold Metal Detector gets top ratings as a prospecting detector. This is a deep-seeking, all-terrain metal detector with an 18 kHz frequency- the best frequency for finding gold. The price of raw gold is high (recently $60/ per gram; $1,850 per ounce), so it is no surprise that detectorists who live in gold country hunt rivers and streams in search of pay dirt! The rugged, high-performance Garrett AT Gold delivers BIG TIME with its advanced underwater design. Top features include: • True All-Metal Mode – provides deep detection and sensitivity for small nuggets, • Iron Audio – Hear discriminated iron and adjust mid-tone range, • Digital Target ID- from 0 to 99 (ferrous starting at 1 and highest conductive items at 99), • Tone Roll Audio offers enhanced target information as you pass over targets. Waterproof up to 10 feet. According to one MetalDetector.com reviewer: “I found 13 specimens of gold ore on an old tailings pile next to a road in S. Wyoming. The AT Gold is very sensitive. I am confident I will have no trouble detecting rare coins and gold nuggets down to 8″ deep or more.”

The dream of finding gold is still alive! This is exciting news for amateur prospectors, who really just want to snag a small nugget for simple gold satisfaction. Long-time detectorist and web blogger “Digger Bob” shares a success story that is encouraging and motivational for amateur gold prospectors! His story: a “monster”gold nugget was found in the Butte foothills in Northern California. Weighing in at 6.25 troy lbs. and 75 oz., this huge nugget was discovered with a metal detector at a depth of 12″. The nugget was deposited on a small feeder creek/stream which fed from the main water channel.

Gold Detectors will ALL Find Gold

“Digger Bob” believes that any decentgold detector could have located this nugget, but says that it originally sounded like a trash signal. Because small nuggets had previously been detected in the same area, he knew to dig it up anyways. Gold detectorists always advise digging up ALL targets for this exact reason. Many times gold signals get ID’ed as trash targets – then turn up as gold. As it turns out, this huge gold nugget was sold at an auction for approximately $400,000!. “Digger Bob” points out that it IS really like hitting the lottery or finding your own “retirement fund.” The point is—gold is still absolutely out there, waiting to be discovered!

Is there a gold prospecting season? This is a common question across metal detecting forums. There is no hard and fast rule about when you can prospect in most states. However, in Alaska, gold prospecting season runs from June through September—only into October if the weather permits. In other known prospecting states: California, Nevada, North Carolina, New Mexico, there are no posted prospecting dates. It is important to note, though—many sites DO require permission to prospect if you plan to stake any claims.

Why the Rise in Gold Prospecting Recently?

Gold prospecting seems to be spiking again in recent years, and geologists theorize as to why. In California, droughts in recent years are cited as one of the reasons. California State University (Sacramento) geology department executive, Tim Horner, explained that amateur prospectors “have been able to get to places they couldn’t before” because the drought has shrunk many of the state’s rivers, “some down to a trickle.” Horner said that one of his students recently found about $900 worth of gold in a stream that had previously been too treacherous to explore. He added, “Looking for gold [the old-fashioned way] is a popular hobby, and some people are making a living doing it.”

The simplest way to get into prospecting is to comb through sediments along a riverbank. Gold is 19 times heavier than water and denser than other particles in a stream, so it quickly settles to the bottom or into cracks between rocks or grains. A park ranger who oversees the California Bear River Campground and Recreation Area has his own theory about why gold prospecting is gaining momentum. He suggests, “The relatively high price of gold and the relatively weak economy have brought out more prospectors in recent years. The fact that low water means they can wade further upstream and get to new areas is advantageous.”

Top-Rated Prospecting Metal Detectors

Since gold occurs in nature at different levels of purity and different levels of concentration, the phase shift for gold objects appears along a wide spectrum on the phase shift dial. “Phase shift” is the difference in timing between the transmitter coil’s frequency and the frequency of the target object. Basically, this means that an object with high inductance is going to have a larger phase shift, so it is highly beneficial to use a prospecting metal detector when hunting for gold. Some machines dedicated to gold prospecting eliminate coin identification features altogether, since you’re not looking for coins. Instead they rely on sounds alone, using a low tone for base metals, and a high-pitched signal for gold. Among some of the best detectors designed for finding gold:Garrett AT Gold,Fisher Gold Bug, theTesoro Lobo SuperTRAQ andXP DEUS. For more units that are made to find gold, read our buyers guide article called Best Metal Detectors for Gold Prospecting.

Considered a “super” gold detector, the Garrett ATX metal detector uses pulse technology to locate the smallest gold nuggets plus relics and coins in the most extreme conditions.

Has your significant other been dropping hints about wanting a gold metal detector? If so, now is the time to get a great deal on a gold detector! At MetalDetector.com, we offer the year’s best prices on gold metal detectors during our BIG HOLIDAY SALE. It’s a great way to encourage new prospectors, as well as seasoned detectorists who are interested in a specific model. Today’s detectors can find gold as small as a half a grain with ease. A few things to consider: The higher the operating frequency of the detector, the more sensitive it will be to small gold. Gold often lies in highly mineralized soil—so, gold detectors with ground balance will emit less false ground noise and save lots of time with needless digging. The best gold detectors can get a bit pricey, so be sure to shop when the prices are deeply discounted!